On 11th February 2016, a group of thirty-six students from the Association of Political Science (ASP) of the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali “Guido Carli” (LUISS) of Rome visited the NATO Defense College. The group was accompanied by Mr Bernardino Mancini.

The aim of the visit was to gain a general overview of the NDC’s activities and discuss a number of issues currently affecting NATO, with a panel of specialists.

The delegation was welcomed by Ms Maria Grazia Romano (ITA, C), Faculty Advisor at the Middle East Faculty.

The Director of the Public Affairs Office, LtCol Alberto Alletto (ITA, A), gave an informative briefing on the NDC structure and activities. The Director of the Middle East Faculty, Col Giuseppe Morabito (ITA, A), then gave a presentation on “NATO and Crisis Areas”, highlighting NATO’s position by examining relations between NATO and the southern flank, focusing on the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI). In conclusion, an overview of the ‘post-Arab spring’ outlined the current situation with regard to the Syrian crisis and the ISIL phenomenon.

Thanks to this visit, students from the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali “Guido Carli” were able to gain extensive insight into the importance of the NDC as NATO’s premier academic institution.